Microorganism

Mannitol is usually produced commercially by chemical hydrogenation. However, this process

only has a maximum yield of 17 % [Takemura et al. (1978)] since in this process, mannitol is only a coproduct of sorbitol. Alternative methods for production of mannitol include enzymatic hydrogenation and
microbial production. The use of enzymatic hydrogenation is affected by factors such as cofactor
retention in the reactor, strong product inhibition of mannitol dehydrogenase and high production costs
[(Soetaert et al., 1999) (Rper and Koch, 1988)]. Hence enzymatic hydrogenation is not an
economically feasible process. In this study, the microbial production of mannitol is being considered.
Yeast, filamentous fungi and bacteria, specifically lactic acid bacteria, have been shown to produce
mannitol without sorbitol formation [(Itoh et al., 1992)]. Moreover, the use of bacteria is favorable since
the addition of cofactors to the reaction broth is not needed because these cells are able to produce
cofactors due to sugar catabolism [Weymarn]. Factors that affect microorganism selection. Below is a
table showing the criteria for selection of a suitable microorganism.
Microorganism
Filamentous Fungi
Member of a group of
eukaryotes
devoid
of
chlorophyll. It starts with a
single spore (conidia) and
germinates to form a long
thread
(hyphae),
which
branches repeatedly to form a
vegetative structure (mycelium)
that can eventually attain
macroscopic dimensions.
Yeast
Also a member of a group of
eukaryotes which are unable to
synthesize their own food. This
type of fungi is a unicellular
organism with spherical to
ovoid shapes and sizes that can
vary from 1 to 5 m in width and
from 5 to 30 m in length.
Bacteria
Member of a group of
prokaryotic
microorganisms
with diameters ranging from 0.5
to 1 m and a few micrometers
in length. These unicellular
microorganisms range in shape
from spheres, to rods to spirals.

Advantages (+) and

Disadvantages (-)
Low volumetric productivity
which
could
render
an
uneconomical production [ ]
Difficult to control [ ]
Complicated purification step [ ]
Suitability
for
food
manufacturing is questionable [
]
Longer
production
time
compared to bacteria [ ]

Rating

Low product yield [ ]

Low volumetric productivity
which
could
render
an
uneconomical production [ ]
Difficult to control [ ]
Complicated purification step [ ]
Suitability
for
food
manufacturing is questionable [
]
High product yield [ ]
Lower
production
time
compared to yeast and fungi [ ]
Higher product purity [ ]

Glucose + 2 Fructose 2 Mannitol + CO2 + Lactate + Acetate

C6H12O6 + 2C6H12O6 2 C6H8(OH)6 + CO2 + C3H5O3- + CH3CO2

Leuconosloc mesenteroides strain ATCC-9 l 35